A succinct list of potential measures for Bangladesh

Md. Nazmus Sakib, Student, Dept. of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong, in the Daily Star (Bangladesh): Global climate changes are posing a major challenge to Bangladesh, due to accelerated rise in sea level, storm impacts, loss of coastal wetlands & biodiversity. Coastal states & low lying islands are especially vulnerable to climate change induced sea level rise, since most of the land area is less than one meter above the sea level. According to some studies, a 45cm sea level rise by 2070 would submerge about 11% & one meter sea level rise will submerge 21% of the coastal lands including nearly 75% of Sundarbans mangrove forests. This will fuel wood crisis & immense loss of biodiversity.

In case of submergence, migration of people to uplands would cause increased demand for food, energy & housing. Loss of agriculture land would exacerbate loss of input, income & employment. I think the adverse impacts of sea level rise can be minimized through implementing following strategies:

1) Delineation impacts of high-risk zone, update the available data.
2) Collection of mean sea level rise data for a long period.
3) Strengthening of the network for prediction, tackling & monitoring system for tropical cyclones.
4) Enhancing awareness on the vulnerability to sea level rise & other climate changes.
5) Upgrading existing new dykes, enhancement of flood control measures, natural disasters prevention measures through coastal shelter programmes & coastal afforestation.
6) Encouraging a participatory involvement of the local population in the coastal development & resource management

This satellite image shows the forest in the protected area. The Sundarbans appears deep green, surrounded to the north by a landscape of agricultural lands, which appear lighter green, towns, which appear tan, and streams, which are blue. Ponds for shrimp aquaculture, especially in Bangladesh, sit right at the edge of the protected area, a potential problem for the water quality and biodiversity of the area. The forest may also be under stress from environmental disturbance occurring thousands of kilometers away, such as deforestation in the Himalaya Mountains far to the north.